100 Years
by justcrazykids
Summary: Flying through 15, he's just a dreamer. 22, 33, 45, his dream is a reality. 67, he realizes love and its supreme power. But 99 takes its toll. Follow Peeta Mellark as he goes through life and lives the life he's always dreamed of. Full of romance, the power of time vs. love, family, and the great tragedies and how easily they can break someone. *Songfic; P/K; Peeta POV; K Rating*


**A/N:** Hey guys! Okay so, this story is based on the song 100 Years by Five for Fighting. I heard this song the other day and I got an idea for a new story. I've been trying to ignore the idea long enough to finish my other work, but I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Thus, this story was made!

I dunno if any of you are familiar but I am a Galeniss Everthorne shipper. BUT this idea only seemed to work for Peeta-Katniss. I have nothing against Peenis, so I had no problem writing this. Just a note, I don't think I'll be writing too many Peenis stories, since I don't sail on that ship.

Again, this is based loosely on the song '100 Years' that I have no ownership of. I also don't own THG (surprise surprise.) Okay so, I hope y'all enjoy 100 Years! This was so cool to write and I'd appreciate your feedback! :)

* * *

**100 Years**

**15**

The day of my 15th birthday is a dismal one. Birthdays in District 12 aren't altogether important, unless you're turning 12, 18, or 21 (if you have enough money to buy excessive amounts of alcohol.) 15 is never a big deal, but it's still normal to get a gift of some sort.

In a sense, I do get a gift. That gift comes in the form of a close-to-stale cake. The cake is marvelous, I decorated it myself. It's a multi-layered chocolate beauty, iced in a light vanilla frosting. There are orange and yellow flowers decorating the side of the cake, reminding its buyer of the oncoming fall season. In this case, the lovely cake had no buyer, so it ended up in my hands, as sort of a makeshift gift.

Although my family lives in town and were are considered merchants, we don't have money to blow on unimportant things like birthday presents. So we settle with giving each other our home-baked goods. But only the ones that are approaching their expiration dates; the ones no one would buy.

So on August 26th, when my father hands me the cake wrapped precisely in a plain white box, I thank him and rush off to school with the package tucked carefully under my arms.

When I reach the school, I'm attacked by a group of my friends. They're armed with hugs (and kisses on the cheek from my female friends) and my only defense is to bribe them with cake. It's no surprise that they take happily to the bribe and step away from me a little.

The hallways are crowded, just as they are everyday. I'm even more cautious not to run into anyone; I don't want to ruin my birthday present, now do I? Finally I make it to my locker and stow the package on the top shelf, where nothing can disturb it.

I make my way to classes as any normal day and I see her.

Katniss Everdeen, the beautiful girl whom I've loved since I was 5. I see her sitting back in her chair, doodling something mindless on a scrap of paper. As I take my seat, I can't seem to take my eyes off of her. It's because today, she's different.

On my birthday, she's given me a gift, although not intentional. Instead of her trademark braid that she's worn every day since the beginning of time, she's left her hair down. It may not seem like much of a gift, but when you've seen her everyday and you don't even know what her hair looks like naturally, it's something to be grateful for.

Her hair-a brown, auburn tinted color- falls in wavy strands all the way down to the middle of her back. I find myself staring intently at the course, yet soft-looking texture of her hair, wishing so desperately that she'd let me play with it and maybe even attempt to braid it.

But that's just a far away dream… for now. In the future when I'm brave enough, I'll talk to her. Maybe I'll ask her about her sister, the girl who she clearly loves more than anyone on the planet. Maybe I'll just ask her about our homework, just so I can get to see her beautiful face up close, and hear her sweet, rhythmic voice.

As of now, I still have plenty of time. She has no intentions of falling in love; I can tell. But maybe if she meets me, if she sees how much I already love her, she won't be able the help falling for me.

**22**

In a month, we went from not talking at all, to kissing. The kissing was fake, just for the cameras, but that was then. I'm living in the present and I know that when we kiss, it is real, real, real. Nothing but real, true love.

I can feel it when she wraps her tiny, yet strong arms around my neck, holding on for God's mercy. I feel it when she wraps her legs around my waist, preventing me from breaking our moment… as if I wanted to anyway. I feel it when her ever so soft lips connect with mine, creating a tingling between the both of us.

And for myself, I know how deep and true my love for her is. I feel it when I wrap my arms around her as she sleeps. It's completely innocent of course, I just feel the overwhelming urge to protect her, even from the demons that I can't see. I feel it when I tangle my fingers in her course, but soft auburn-tinted hair. It makes it a struggle to untangle myself from her, so we never have to break our connection.

Ever since Prim died and Gale left, Katniss has relied on me more than I ever could have imagined. She doesn't use me, she needs me. And I need her too.

Katniss mourned Prim's death for over a year, but after that, she was able to recover. The tragedy has of course broken a certain part of her heart, a part that I have no control over, but it has also made her stronger. Her ability to cope and deal with problems has improved greatly.

When Gale's bomb killed Prim, Katniss could feel nothing but hatred towards him. I don't know if she ever loved him, but I suspect that she did at one time, in some way. So when he left, it was amazingly simple for her to let him go, to let him slip her mind.

I've never seen Gale as a threat to what Katniss and I have, but not having him around now has boosted our relationship's strength. We're at the point where it's difficult to leave the house for a quick trip to the town without the other.

That's why I've planned to ask her to marry me.

Today, the day of my 22nd birthday, I plan to ask for Katniss Everdeen's hand in marriage.

And I'm honestly not worried in the least bit that she'll decline. That's how strong our love is.

Our love is the strongest it's ever been and we're on fire with our immense passion.

**33**

August 22nd rolls around once again, but this time I won't be celebrating with just my love. Our two kids and our soon to be born child will celebrate alongside us.

Ever since August 22nd 11 years ago, when Katniss _Mellark _agreed to spend forever by my side, we've been flying high and flying strong. It wasn't long after our marriage that occurred on the anniversary of Katniss's father's death, that we began planning to build a family.

Exactly three months later, Katniss ran into my arms, excitedly chirping the results of her pregnancy test. Positive.

Nine months after that, Kylie Rue Mellark was brought into the world. She looked like a miniature Katniss, but I could see my own traits present as well.

Her bright, twinkling blue eyes for example, resembled mine so similarly. Katniss also said that her smile also looking amazingly like my own.

The rest of her, however, was entirely Katniss. Her wavy, auburn hair, that grew faster than I'd ever thought possible. Her fair, olive-colored skin matched Katniss's perfectly from when she was younger. And her attitude, we learned, was exactly like Katniss's. The fiery temper, the compassion, the kindness, and the cleverness, all evidence of Katniss's presence.

Three years afterward, we learned that we had another child on the way. Soon after learning this, tiny, precious Primrose Grace Mellark was born. The day was bittersweet; the delivery doctor warned us that little Rose was severely underweight and premature. He didn't expect her to survive.

But Katniss and I had no doubt. Sweet little Rose evidently had the strength in which the girl who she was named after had. She survived not only, but she thrived. She suffered no defects, no lasting problems. And after about seven years without any pursuing problems, we remain confident in our daughter.

She is similar to sweet, dearly-missed Prim. Her hair is pin-straight and blonde (Katniss always braids it in remembrance to her lost little sister.) Her skin is fair and her eyes are a beautiful blue-grey. She also acts just as Prim did. Rose is kind and gentle, sweet and caring.

Our two daughters get along well, they both love each other more than anything. Sometimes Katniss and I suspect that they love each other more than they love us, but neither of us take umbrage to the possibility.

Kylie protects Rose, just as Katniss always protected Prim. Kylie plays with her and sometimes uses the money she's saved to buy little ribbons or coloring pages for her.

In return, Rose is constantly in the kitchen beside me, begging to make a cake or tray of cookies with me. Her love and skill of baking and decorating is something that she got from me undoubtedly. It earns a lot of good-spirited teasing from Katniss and Kylie.

We've all grown exceptionally close and I'm proud to say that our family is loving and caring. Now we have another on the way and everyone is extremely anxious and excited.

The due date for Abel Cinna or Lana Hazelle is approaching in only two weeks and I've been frantically preparing the baby's room, buying furniture, and stocking up on baby supplies.

Even so, after a busy day of shopping, I come home and give my beautiful Katniss a gentle kiss, first on her lips (that are still effortlessly soft) and then on her swollen belly. She smiles her sweet smile that still make my heart beat a little faster, even after all of this time. From the front of the room, I hear a chorus of "Ews," and "Yucks," but I pay them no mind sweep Katniss into my arms.

With her securely in my arms, I spin to face our daughters, both of whom are covering their eyes and stifling giggles. Katniss and I both smirk at them, but I set Katniss on her feet anyway. A moment afterwards, I run towards them and scoop both into my arms.

They can't control their giggling any longer, and burst out laughing. Somewhere behind me, I hear Katniss's melodic laughter as it mingles with mine and out daughters'.

After our laughing fits, I set Kylie and Rose on their feet and tell them to go play outside until dinner. Rose protests, as she does every night I don't let her help with making dinner. I give her a smile and promise that she can bake a cake first thing tomorrow morning, and she gleefully leads her sister outside.

I walk up to Katniss, scoop her into my arms once more, and carry her up the steps. I lead us down the central hallway of the upstairs, toward the balcony door. I approach it, turn the knob, and sit on the cushioned couch, Katniss still in my arms.

We both look out to the front yard, to the streets of what was once Victory Village and is now just a regular neighborhood. We see our beautiful daughters playing happily in their sandbox and smile simultaneously. We see everything that the sun's orange rays touch and admire the simple beauty of the quiet summer evening.

Katniss turns her head and touches my lips with her own. I deepen the kiss, falling onto the couch so her legs straddle me. She gives me a devious smile, but our passionate kissing stays just that- kissing.

I break our kiss for long enough to breath the words "I love you." She doesn't reply, but I can tell by her next kiss that she loves me just as much as I love her… infinitely.

**45**

On my 45th birthday, I awoken my Katniss trailing kisses from my cheeks, to my jaw, down my neck, across my chest, and down my stomach. I smile and she looks up from her work and beams down on me. "Happy birthday!" she says happily, before passionately kissing me on my mouth, then on both of my cheeks.

I grin at her sweet, seductive behavior that has become normal over our many years together. I decide to pursue her mood and begin kissing down her neck and on to her chest. I'm rewarded with a quiet moan and I inch further toward one of her most sensitive, alluring places…

Suddenly we hear a pounding on our heavy wood door. "We're huuuuungry!" a band of kids says in unison. Katniss smiles up at me and whispers into my ear, "To be continued."

I grin mischievously at her before yelling back to the kids, "One sec' guys!" Katniss gets off of my chest and slips on a t-shirt and a simple pair of navy sweatpants. I do similarly and hurriedly put on plaid pajama pants and a red tee.

We make out way downstairs quickly to where our four children are waiting impatiently. Kylie is the first to speak; "Fiiiiinally! We thought we'd starve to death before you came outta that room!"

"Nah, I could cook for all four of us if they never came down," Rose quips.

That brings a wave of laughter from Abel and Greyson. "Hush squirts, you know I can cook."

Katniss and I turn to each other stifling our matching grins. I break her gaze and make my way to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. "If you wanna prove 'em wrong Rose, you better get in here and help me make the best breakfast ever!"

I hear her snicker, but she appears in the kitchen moments later, looking excited to start cooking. I smile and point to the pancake mix and the griddle on the stove-top. "Better get started, four pancakes for everyone." Her eyes widen significantly, but she begins regardless.

While I cook, I hear my kids and my wife from the dining room. "Mommy, read me a story please?"

"Okay baby. Abel, Kylie, come here, I need you to act."

"Mom, I'm too old for this!" our oldest, Kylie, who is now 22 (and engaged) complains.

"Nonsense, you're never too old for 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'!"

I hear a grumble and three laughs in response. A moment later, Katniss begins reading 7 year old Greyson a story. As she reads, I hear quiet footsteps and sound effects from Abel and surprisingly Kylie as well. It brings a smile to my aging face.

While I cook, I often like to relish the peacefulness and reflect on mine and Katniss's wonderful years together and all we've done. Sometimes when Rose helps me, she'll question the large, exuberant smile on my face. I always tell her the same thing: "Memories."

In the 23 years I've been married to my lovely Katniss, we've had four children. Kylie will be getting married and moving out in only a few months. Rose is 19 and has a boyfriend who often helps prepare dinner with me. Abel is 12, but he has the maturity and mindset of a young adult. Something about him reminds me of Gale Hawthorne, but something about Katniss reminded me of him as well. Abel is similar to me in looks, except his hair has significantly darkened over the years. He is like Katniss in spirits, however. Then there is Greyson, who is 7. His looks and personality display a perfectly equal combination between Katniss and I. His eyes change from grey, to blue regularly, his hair is light brown, his skin is fair, but olive-tinted, and his personality has traits strewn from both of us.

Our family is amazing, we are all so amazing. I can't fathom how far we've all come. Time has flown through the years.

Perhaps its flown just a bit too fast. Maybe everything should just slow down for a little while. After all, these are the best years of our lives, we need to be able to savor them properly. But I am just a simple man now, and a simple man cannot influence time.

**67**

Another birthday, another year closer to dying. It doesn't upset me anymore, death isn't a morbid topic. It's simply a part of life, an unavoidable one at that.

10, maybe 20 years ago I would've said that I wished time would slow down. I would've said that I wanted more of it, that I wanted to enjoy every last moment.

Now, at 67, I have no plans of ever saying anything like that again. I've had enough time, I've enjoyed a vast majority of it, and I have no regrets. I've lived a full life and growing older, I'm content enough.

Besides my arthritis stricken fingers that keep me from cooking sometimes and graying of my hair, I'm very happy. My lazy years have been comfortable with my one love, occasionally getting visits from our kids and their families.

Every time they visit, Katniss and I prepare a feast and a grand game of some sort. One occasion when Kylie visited with her three kids, we played a massive game of hide and seek. The winner received a multi-layer cake, decorated in a variety of sweets. Although Kylie and her husband weren't all for the cavities and stomach aches the treat would surely cause, they obliged to playing the game and ended up having a blast.

This birthday, as several prior, we have no visitors. I don't mind, I understand that all our children have important lives to live. I'm happy that they manage a few visits a year.

Katniss and I have retired to a small cottage in District 4, right by the seaside. It's small and very homey. The sea is a calming place to retire to, I've learned. The sound is noticeable, but not disturbing. The sound of the waves and the breeze through the trees are calming and very relaxing.

We also live near Annie and her family. After Finnick, Annie never wanted to remarry, so she settled with only having one child; Finn. By now, Finn is grown with a family of his own. But he couldn't bear to leave his mother alone, so he moved his growing family into her home.

Annie doesn't mind, in fact she's a very happy woman growing older. She makes a great grandmother to Finn's five kids and Katniss and I help out too.

Katniss and I have grown closer to Annie, and we've grown closer to the sea. Although we both love it here, Katniss is determined to be buried in District 12, next to Prim, her mother, and… Gale.

A few years ago, we received a very upsetting call from Rory Hawthorne, inviting us to a funeral in District 12. We asked who it was for, and he heartbreakingly told us that Gale died.

Katniss seemed unfazed at first, but felt remorse soon after. She'd forgiven Gale, but she never got to tell him. It upset her badly, but she was able to get over it, just as she'd done with many other tough situations.

Gale had died fighting some Capitolites in District 2. They had very powerful explosives buried in the ground and Gale's squad had stepped to close to them. Rory said his death was instantaneous and I'm very grateful for that. Although I never particularly liked Gale, he did nothing to deserve a painful death.

So when Katniss asked to be buried next to him in addition to her mother and Prim, I did not feel offended. I just made her promise that I'd be buried next to her as well. She agreed instantly.

Although the years have drastically changed our appearances (not negatively affecting Katniss's,) our love still remains indescribably strong. This makes me believe that time cannot separate true love.

Nothing can separate true love.

Not even death. Because when both lovers die, they'll be reunited in the afterlife, whatever that might be.

**99**

99 for a moment, then it's all over. I hope.

Annie and Finn died in a car accident five years ago. It was extremely upsetting and traumatic; Katniss broke down.

Kylie died three years ago from a bombing. _Just like Prim… Just like Gale_, Katniss whispered. We were crumbling.

Abel hasn't made contact with us for years. We didn't know how to feel.

Greyson has been missing for over two years. We were losing ourselves.

Rose is in the hospital, trying to go through chemo-therapy for her lung cancer. I was breaking.

Katniss died a few months ago. She died of _heart complications._ I. Can't. Cope.

I'm in the hospital, a few more hours before I turn 100. They say I might make it, unless my _heart complications_ get to me first.

To me, it doesn't matter. Just so I don't make it too long. I can't survive on a planet without my love, without my dearest family.

I'm dying and I can feel it. The sheer heartbreak of so many tragedies has put me on my death bed.

I'm dying of _heart complications_ just like sweet Katniss did.

These _heart complications_ have nothing to do with medicine, nothing to do with healthcare, and nothing to do with 'getting old.' These complications come from the heart literally bursting of sadness, out of nothingness, there's no other way to put it.

Soon enough, my heart will shatter and I will die, just as my love did.

I do not fear death.

But I've realized what I do fear: I fear a world without my love, a world without my kids, and a world without my friends.

Thinking of them all, my chest starts to compact and I find it a struggle to breathe.

I can see the end growing nearer and I begins to run through familiar faces in my mind.

My sweet, perfect Katniss.

My loving children, Kylie, Rose, Abel, and Greyson.

My friends, Annie and Finn, and all of their kids.

Faintly in the background I hear a dull beeping that stays on one pitch. I realize what it means just a second before I shatter entirely.

**100**

_The beeping coming from room 99 has began to play to song of death. I check the clock: 12:03 AM. I smile humorlessly to myself._

_ He made it. Not that he would ever care._

_I walk into the room, my head hung low. God, I don't know how I'm gonna do this._

_He is lying flat on the hospital bed. His grey hair is strewn about on the pillow carelessly and his blue eyes are open, but completely lifeless. _

_I pat his hand. _

_"Do you see her? Do you see mom?" _

_I let a few tears fall. _

_"Rest easy dad. And tell Mom and Kylie and Greyson that I love them. And I love you too."_

_Before exiting the room, I say one more thing, barely even in a whisper. "Happy birthday."_


End file.
